eoaLive! October 2026

BREAKOUT 2A | Making Ownership Meaningful: The Employee Ownership Mindset

We often talk about creating an ownership mindset within employee owned businesses (EOBs), but what does that actually look like day to day?  This inspiring session brings together finalists from the ‘Employee Owner of the Year’ shortlist from the 2026 UK Employee Ownership Awards to share the different ways they bring employee ownership to life within their businesses.

Through real stories and practical examples, discover how employee owners are shaping culture, improving engagement, supporting colleagues, driving innovation, and helping ownership become something meaningful rather than simply a structure on paper.

Whether through recognition programmes, peer support, communication initiatives, or grassroots cultural change, this session will explore how ownership behaviours can be encouraged and embedded across a business.

Who Should Attend

  • Employee owners interested in strengthening ownership culture within their EOB
  • HR, people, and culture professionals focused on engagement and organisational development

What You’ll Learn

  • What an employee ownership mindset looks like in practice
  • How employee owners can actively shape culture and engagement
  • How businesses can encourage meaningful employee involvement beyond governance structures
When
08/10/2026 14:45 - 15:45
GMT Daylight Time

Speakers

Expr1
Tessa May

Tessa May

Answer Digital Limited

SPEAKER

Tessa May is Employee Trustee Director at Answer Digital, an employee-owned digital consultancy. Her trustee role spans both governance and employee voice; from representing employee owners on the Trust Board and supporting robust decision-making, to helping colleagues understand and engage with what employee ownership means in practice. Alongside her trustee role, Tessa’s day-to-day work is rooted in technical consultancy and organisational change, giving her a practical perspective on how ownership culture shows up in the realities of business delivery. In 2026, she was named Trustee of the Year at the UK Employee Ownership Awards, where Answer Digital also won EO Business of the Year.
Patrycja Cisewska

Patrycja Cisewska

Aquascot Ltd

SPEAKER

Patrycja Cisewska is the Employee Ownership Trust Business Partner at Aquascot and a passionate advocate for making employee ownership meaningful in everyday working life. Patrycja joined Aquascot over 13 years ago as a Production Operative and has since worked across Quality, Administration and Health & Safety before moving into her current role. Along the way, she has served on the Partnership Council, been elected as a Partner Director, and now works closely with partners, leadership and the Trust Board to help ensure every voice has the opportunity to shape the future of the business. Having experienced employee ownership from the shop floor to the boardroom, Patrycja brings a practical perspective on what it takes to build a genuine ownership culture. She believes employee ownership is at its best when people feel informed, involved and confident enough to challenge, contribute and make a difference.